you've got to hide your love away
by justcametowrite
Summary: Jughead Jones hasn't spoken to Betty Cooper since 9th grade Homecoming, and he's trying to change that.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! I don't own Riverdale. And to my fellow fan girls and boys: this fic is going in a much different direction than you would think. It's based of off the dream I had last night, actually, so ish gets weird. Keep in mind that this is self-edited and it has been a long time since I've written anything. Hope you enjoy!**

Jughead Jones watched as his best friend Archie Andrews, once again, left Betty Cooper in the dust. The raven haired boy sat in a separate booth at Pop's while observing Betty nervously playing with the bracelet on her wrist 2 hours into her "date" with Archie. He could tell she was getting increasingly anxious for the ginger to ask her to their first Riverdale High Homecoming, as it was the only thing she could talk about for weeks.

For example, yesterday: Jughead was comfortably sitting on her pink, floral sheets when a sweet voice rang into his ears after a long period of silence. "Juggie, do you really think he'll ask me?" said Betty.

"Yeah, Betts. He'd be a true idiot if he didn't." Jughead smiled up at her, wanting to see her smile. Like any teenage girl, Betty Cooper was not invulnerable to the peer pressure of getting invited to Homecoming. Even worse, she has had a mad crush on the red haired adolescent since she could say the word "Archie," and she felt that this was her chance to jump start their romantic relationship. Despite all these pressures looming over her, Betty grinned at Jughead's remark. He always knew what to say.

But now, after the blonde dragged Jughead into Pop's 30 minutes prior to her meeting with Archie as her "backup" and "emotional support," that smile was long gone. Instead, she kept fidgeting with her bracelet as the ginger went on and on about his recent football game. From afar, Jughead could see that she was losing hope and that the boy was still blissfully oblivious to the entire ordeal.

Betty Cooper then mustered up all the courage she could and stood up abruptly. She couldn't take it anymore: the anticipation, the worry, making Archie Andrews the only thing she would think about everyday. She wasn't blind; she knew that his sights were elsewhere, but she always held hope that he would someday realize that what he wants is right in front of him.

"Archie!" she squeaked, as if she herself was surprised at her boldness.

"Betty, what are you doing? We're in public, everyone's watching." Archie answered, frantically looking around the slightly crowded diner.

"I don't care anymore, Arch. I'm tired of waiting. All night, I've been waiting for you to ask me to this stupid dance. Hell, I even dropped hints, talking about the upcoming Homecoming Game against Southside High. But apparently you have the emotional range of a teaspoon and can't recognize when a girl is desperately trying to get your attention. So will you?"

"Will I what?" sputtered an utterly confused Archie.

"Will you go to Homecoming with me?"

At these words, Jughead could almost see Betty's optimism and hope that Archie would finally see the light. C'mon, man. Don't let her down this time.

Archie took Betty's wrist, leading her in sitting down. "Betty, I'm so sorry, but Veronica asked me to go with her yesterday and I said yes."

Betty suddenly couldn't move. She hadn't heard him right, yes, that's what happened. He was simply talking about football again. Betty inwardly laughed at her futile attempts to comfort herself. No, Betty, he rejected you… again. Once she accepted this truth, a wave of emotions flew over her. First, she felt disappointment. Of course she'd be disappointed: her longtime crush rejected her. Next, sadness. Her hope that Archie would see her as "Betty Cooper: Future Girlfriend" was squashed once again. Was it worth hoping for? Does it matter? Is it her looks? Her personality? Suddenly, everything was wrong with her. Her self-esteem began deflating. Slowly but surely, she was spiraling into a pit of darkness. But what she felt last was the worst: heartbreak. It was as if her heart was physically breaking into 2 pieces by the hammer that was Archie's rejection. Crack! That was from his refusal to go to the middle school dance with her. Crack! Choosing Veronica to go to the movies with him instead of her. Crack, crack crack, goes Betty Cooper's fragile heart, shattering from the constant disappointment and anguish. Betty felt her eyes moisten. But she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry: she was determined. So the young blonde looked him dead in the eye and pulled her arm away from him in a brusque fashion (obviously fed up with his inability to recognize her feelings).

In the most angry and malicious tone she could muster, Betty said, "I never thought I'd say this, but... fuck you, Archie Andrews."

And with that, Betty Cooper left Pop's with her heart in her stomach, crying and weeping and sobbing.

She reached her room, running past her mother (who obviously wanted to meddle) and ignoring her sister's attempts at comfort. She quickly changed into her pajamas and launched herself into her bed, face first.

"You'll stain your pillowcase," Jughead said quietly, cutting the silence with his voice.

Betty looked to the window knowingly. Of course he would be there for her… he always was.

She opened her window as the beanie-clad boy climbed into her room. Betty giggled at the odd sight of his dark clothing in contrast to her very pink room. She would never get used to it. "I can always wash the pillowcases you know," Betty said with a sniff.

"Hey," Jughead said, moving closer to the beautiful lady, "you're going to be okay. You're Betty Cooper, remember?"

She huffed, obviously annoyed, "and what's that supposed to mean? Perfect? The blonde, 4.0 cheerleader? Or the girl who keeps chasing after someone who's disgusted by the prospect of going to a silly school dance with her? You choose." A single tear travelled down her face as she said this angrily. Betty was tired of her life, this image.

"What I was going to say was that the Betty Cooper I know will never let that son of a bitch hear the end of it. You'll go with someone else, you'll make him jealous, and you will never let him see you blink an eye. Make him pay for your heartache." Jughead was surprised at everything he had just said; he would never tell anyone to seek blatant revenge, but Betty Cooper always swayed his emotions in a way no one else could.

"Thanks Juggie, but I highly doubt anyone would want to go with me after seeing that whole fiasco at Pop's."

Jughead swallowed loudly, suddenly aware of the opportunity presented in front of him. He wants her to be happy. He'd always loved Betty Cooper from afar, but this was a chance to be close to her, to just be with her. And that in itself was worth the embarrassment of asking her.

"I would." He said with finality. Betty sharply turned her head to look at him. Did she hear him correctly?

She melted a bit inside at the sweetness of this boy. Under that rugged interior was the most generous person she's ever met.

"What?" she said quietly.

"Will you go to Homecoming with me? I mean, you don't have to, it would be weird to go with me 'cause we're just friends right? I totally understa-"

She cut him off with a squeal of excitement and a big hug. "Yes, Juggie, I'll go with you."

He smiled the biggest smile that night, and he didn't even try to stop it.

3 years later, the happiness of this night became but a mere memory. It was gone, perhaps forever. But a hardened, more guarded Jughead Jones was searching for this feeling once more, and Betty Cooper held the key.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! Don't worry, I'm continuing this fic. It'll probably turn out to be 5? Maybe 6 chapters? It depends. I still haven't gotten to the part that appeared in my dream, and that's the part I'm really looking forward to cranking out for you guys. Enjoy, comment, share with your friends! I don't own Riverdale :)**

 **3 years later**

Jughead Jones sat in his very worn couch, trying to figure out how he screwed up his life so badly. Actually, he knows exactly how it happened. First, he took Betty to 9th grade Homecoming, and all was well. But then, his father got arrested for drug abuse, leaving Jughead Jones to go into the custody of his mother Gladys in Toledo. Problem was, he had no time to tell Betty (or any of his friends for that matter) why he was laughing in the school hallway with them one day and on a bus ride to Toledo the next.

But the worst part was that he couldn't bring himself to call. He couldn't willingly call Betty and Archie and tell them that FP Jones, the man that Jughead so desperately wanted to change, failed him yet again after the thousandth promise that he would clean up his act. He was embarrassed. But now, Jughead was 18 and had just arrived in Riverdale to claim his father's old trailer as his own.

Driving into Riverdale was like seeing a montage of a happier life. Passing by the Cooper's residence, Sweetwater River, and Riverdale High was like seeing another fucking cliche, another reminder that he left behind the best thing that could have happened to him: Betty Cooper.

As Jughead lay down on his couch, he closed his eyes to relive his most cherished memory of Betty Cooper on his arm in the streamer-filled gymnasium.

" _Juggie, I'm so glad you came here with me." beamed an extremely content Betty Cooper. She was having a blast: the DJ had good taste in music, her favorite (extremely artificial) sugar cookies with frosting were available in the back of the gym, and she and Jughead were talking up a storm. Even better was the fact that Archie Andrews had repeatedly looked over at her and Jughead, almost in envy. She was making him jealous and she knew it._

 _Jughead hadn't wiped that smile off of his face since the day Betty said yes to going with him. With that ridiculous smile, he responded, "I'm glad you said yes, Juliet." Thanks to their Honors English I class, Betty and Jughead bonded over the Romeo and Juliet's story, and the nicknames simply stuck._

 _Suddenly, the DJ changed the song to a relatively slow cover of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" by the Beatles. He instructed, "Alright kids, grab your date and head onto the dance floor."_

 _Jughead looked over to Betty, who was bright red from her furious blushing. Then he looked to the dance floor and saw Archie and Veronica swaying slowly (with too little space between them). He looked back at Betty._

 _She was truly radiant. She wore a baby pink dress that clung to her upper body but cascaded onto her thighs like ribbons of liquid caramel. She didn't wear makeup, because she was currently in the middle of an animal testing boycott. But nothing mattered to him except for the fact that she was here, and she was here with HIM._

 _Betty turned to face him, saying, "Don't I get at least 1 dance?"_

 _And with that, her soft, recently manicured hand grabbed onto Jughead's, and they danced together under the soft lights of the gym._

Every time he remembered this, Jughead felt joy, but he also felt pain. Pain in the fact that his childhood was stolen from him, pain because he had to leave the only girl who had actually made an effort to talk to him, and pain knowing that he had to throw everything away for a man who didn't even bother to ask him how his day went after school. But Jughead needed closure, so here he was, alone and sad in the place that once was so happy.

But inside, he never got over the swarm of butterflies that he felt when Betty grabbed his hand to dance with him. She was the only redeeming quality of the town.

Jughead simply had to see her. He couldn't take another year of silence from the charismatic cheerleader. And so he found himself in his car, trying to remember the route to the Cooper residence. His pulse quickened as his car approached their driveway.

As he arrived in front of the picturesque house, planning what to say after all these years, he was stopped by the sound of a door opening. And out of it walked Betty and Archie, hand in hand.

Jughead could've sworn he heard his heart breaking there and then.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! Sorry that I haven't updated in a while: I've been trying to clear my head, and have been enjoying the last few bits of summer. Please enjoy this next part! Read, review, and share. Thank you guys so much for the overwhelming support! Again, I don't own Riverdale. Also: who heard about the Sprousehart news? Personally, I just hope they both receive some privacy and I hope they are happy and maintain a friendly relationship no matter what. Sorry, that was off topic, but I would love to hear how you feel about it! ENJOY :)**

Jughead Jones sat inside his car for a good 15 minutes, merely contemplating what he'd just seen. Should he believe it? In the back of his mind, he even began thinking, _is she worth it?_

Because although Betty made him feel something unexplainable and raw, she wasn't there for him in the way he wanted her to be when he moved away. A part of him always resented the blonde for not chasing after him with some grand gesture of love. Yes, it may be selfish, but Jughead believed under his circumstances, he was allowed to be selfish. He had gone to hell and back, what with his father, mother, and mindless bullies back in Toledo. And so, Jughead started driving back to his ratty trailer, sure that Betty was happy and that he would have less trouble without Betty in his life.

Betty, on the other hand, was not amused by the red haired man trying to flirt with her on the way home. She was walking home from a Vixens practice, tired, sweaty, and thoroughly annoyed with Cheryl Blossom, when Archie Andrews (fresh out of football practice) decided that he wanted to walk home with her. She felt an urgent need to be courteous due to Alice's strict breeding of a perfect daughter, so Betty reluctantly allowed him to, although she had not spoken or even given a thought to Archie in 3 years, ever since Jughead Jones took her to Homecoming.

It was too hard to think about Jughead after all this time. How is it possible that a boy she merely danced with caused her so much pain? _Who am I kidding,_ Betty thought. _We all know he was more than a friend to me_.

Because unlike Archie, Jughead could sense the smallest things about her, even when they were younger. He knew from a simple, nervous lip bite of hers that she was uncomfortable in a conversation. When her shoulders were tense and her fingernails curled into her palm forcefully, he knew to come over and uncurl her hands and tell her that everything would be okay. Sometimes, she would let out a long, shaky breath, and cry into his shoulder when the darkness inside her became overwhelming. It was during these instances she would feel an inexplicable warmth and comfort in the beanie clad boy, something she later identified as love. But in an instant, he was gone, and her fingernails dug and dug and dug into her skin until the scars would be inescapable.

Safe to say, she missed him. But she knew he probably ran away from her, from their town. It's not that she was repulsive, no, it was because he couldn't handle the whispers from the residents of this utopian suburbia about his alcoholic father. She always knew that he felt like he was her charity case because of his rough background and her seemingly perfect upbringing, but that was far from true. Eventually, she sensed him pulling away, a defense mechanism for the hurt his father inflicted upon him, and although she tried to reel him back in, it wasn't enough, and he broke. At least, that's what Betty believed. There was this overbearing weight on Betty's shoulders, telling her that she was the reason he ran away. She should have tried harder. Her eyes welled with tears, and she felt her fingernails find their way to her palm without Jughead there to uncurl the wicked digits.

In reality though, Betty slapped on a smile and went through life as a mannequin of herself. She tried to act like the loss of Jughead didn't faze her; she became head River Vixen (before Cheryl got jealous and threatened everyone into voting for her), she began looking at colleges, and she immersed herself in journalism at the Blue and Gold and at the Register. But when Archie Andrews decided to hold her hand when they reached the door of her house after practice and tell her that he thinks they would be the ultimate power couple, Betty tried to snatch her hand away. Jughead's disappearance may have damaged her beyond repair, but she wouldn't let it take away her opinions and choices. She smiled a tense smile at the redhead and refused his advancements. It was too soon, anyways. She could never love someone the way she loved Jughead. It would surely break her.

Little did she know that Jughead was looking out the window of his car at the exact moment Archie was holding her hand and she was smiling (and from afar, it may not seem tense at all). He began driving towards his trailer after that, but decided to go to Pop's. He thought it would be a safe place to let his numbness take over.

Fate enjoyed cruel kindness, but Betty wasn't aware of that until she opened the door to Pop's and found Jughead there, gripping his milkshake as if he wanted the glass to disintegrate.

Betty's legs almost gave out. He was sitting in the back of the diner, nearly hidden from sight. She studied him a bit. He was taller, rougher around the edges, and still wearing his infamous beanie. While she still saw the Jughead she remembered in his beautiful, black hair and piercing blue eyes, she saw that he… matured well, to say the least. Once scrawny, Jughead packed on some lean muscle; not too obvious, but obvious enough for Betty to see. She could tell from his expression that he was angry, but under that was a twinge of sadness. _Leave it up to Riverdale's own Holden Caulfield to be dramatic, even after his 3 year disappearance,_ Betty thought fondly. Yes, she was angry at him for leaving her defenseless and letting her inner darkness win, but underneath the anger was the steady heartbeat of her love for him. She was nervous, but holy shit, she was excited.

Maybe this was fate's way of throwing them back together.

She walked towards him tentatively, throwing on the most genuine smile she's given in a while. Without his permission, she sat across from him in his booth, and said, "Long time no see, Jughead."

Instead of seeing pure joy or even just a sprinkle of a smile, she was greeted with a very welcoming, "What the hell, Betty?"

He gathered his things and stormed out the door. Betty's smile turned into a frown, and she sat there, thoroughly confused for the rest of the night.

 **Well, that's a wrap for this chapter! No worries, they will sort things out in a while. Good things come for those who wait ;)**

 **PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review: they keep me motivated :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello there! Yes, this was a quick update! Why? Because I took such a long time to update chapter 3, I wanted to make up for it. I hope it's worth it! Please excuse mistakes, as this was written and edited by a human being, and human beings tend to make mistakes. I do not own Riverdale! Shoutout to my reviewers: you 5 are the real MVP's. Enjoy this chapter, and please comment and share!**

Betty looked at the freshly closed door of Pop's, still confused at why Jughead had basically run away from her. Did she offend him in any way? _I've done it again!_ Betty thought. _I've managed to make the only person I've truly ever cared about run away from me not once, but twice! How impressive._ The blonde wouldn't let Jughead get off this easy though. Her inquisitive, journalist instincts were tingling: she simply had to know why he disappeared so long ago (and secretly wondered why he left her without an explanation).

Instead of running out the door after him, though, she sat and formulated a plan to get him to talk. Once she got home, she dialed her best friend, the intimidatingly gorgeous Veronica Lodge. Despite Archie going to Homecoming with her in 9th grade, they talked out their problems and have since become nearly inseparable.

Veronica picked up and said, "Betty?"

"V? I have a plan, and I'm going to need your help."

Surprised and confused at her words, Veronica simply replied, "Spill."

Jughead exasperatedly threw himself into his mattress. Of course the one person he wanted to see after 3 long years was taken by none other than Archie Andrews. Only life would be this cruel to a person like him. And when Betty just showed up at Pop's, fresh from a probable date with Archie (or so he thought), Jughead's emotions took over, and he greeted her with malice and ran away like a coward.

Damn it, he just couldn't face her. Not today. Not after seeing _that._

Then, suddenly, he got a call from Archie. _Fucking perfect timing, Arch,_ Jughead thought bitterly. But he couldn't show any of them he was mad; at least, not again. They didn't know he had practically stalked Betty today in hopes of reviving a relationship that probably didn't even exist in her mind, so he had to act natural. And the natural response to a ringing phone is to pick up.

 _Act happy. Act normal._ "Hey, Arch," Jughead said, his voice cracking slightly. "It's been a while."

Archie, oblivious to the fake normalcy in his voice, replied, "Sure has, Jug. I know, I know, I haven't really talked to you since you left Riverdale for Toledo, but Betty was really keen on having me talk to you and ask you a favor."

At the mention of Betty's name, Jughead felt a pang of jealousy that hit him harder than he would have liked to admit. After a short pause, he let out a long breath and said, "What does she want?"

"She told me and Veronica that she saw you at Pop's, and she was really happy to see you again and decided it would be a great time to 'get the gang back together' on a camping trip. I understand if you can't go, but it seems like it means a lot to her, and we both know it would be a dick move if you let her down. What do you say?"

On one hand, the last thing Jughead wanted to do was see her with Archie, as it was just a painful reminder of what he had given up when he left for Toledo. But on the other hand, Jughead could never bring himself to let her down: they were still friends (at least in his mind), and he doesn't want to be the person that lets down someone who was there for you in the darkest of times.

After moments of consideration, he sighed and said, "I'll be there, Archie. Text me the details."

Jughead hung up, and lay down on his bed, just staring at the ceiling. What had he gotten himself into?

Bright and early the next morning, Betty sat in bed, doing advanced homework. If this camping thing worked out the way she wanted it to, she would be missing a couple days of school (without her mother knowing, of course). Suddenly, her phone started ringing. Glancing at the caller ID, she saw it was Veronica.

"Hey, V. Any news?" Betty said hopefully. When she proposed her plan to Veronica, she simply said that Jughead was in town and that she wanted to get their entire group together like old times. What she didn't divulge was her _actual_ plan to "get lost" in the woods with Jughead so that he could finally explain to her the details of his disappearance. Yes, this was a very drastic measure, but Betty felt like he would just shut himself off completely if she tried confronting him alone at FP's trailer. This way, it was a group gathering, and the circumstances were purely "coincidental." Nothing too suspicious, right?

(That's what she wanted to believe.)

Veronica began rambling, "Looks like our sad little breakfast club is having a reunion! Jughead told Archiekins that he would show. I'm surprised he even said yes; you know, he talked a big game about being an 'outsider' and a 'weirdo,' but personally I -"

Betty cut her off, effectively ending the conversation with a, "Great, V! I'll finish planning and we'll get this all figured out."

"But, Betty, we still haven't-"

"Bye, Veronica." Betty hung up. As much as she loved Veronica Lodge, she was certainly a handful.

Inside, Betty was bursting at the seams with excitement. _He said yes!_ She felt like she was a freshman in high school again, acting all giddy and almost too enthusiastic because of a boy. In the back of her mind, there was this fear that she was letting him into her life too easily again, that it was too soon and too painful to remember all the times he was there for her, both happy and sad. But Betty pushed that to the back of her mind and moved forward with an infectious zeal and lust for life. Silently, she thanked Jughead's reemergence for at least giving her that part of her personality. She had a lot to regain, but she would save that for the trip. Quickly looking outside to make sure her parents were at the grocery store as they said they would be, Betty climbed off of her bed, turned on her speaker, and began dancing, just as she did when she first became a River Vixen. As the music played, Betty felt free.

(When she heard the lyric: _My youth ain't tangled up in bad decisions_ , all Betty could think was: _Damn straight_.)

The next day, Betty told Polly her plans of camping, and told her to cover for her. Polly smiled at Betty wistfully, like she wished to come with them and gain her childhood back. But she smiled at her sister and told her she would do anything for her, because that was the truth. Betty walked out of Polly's room with a little more spring in her step, and Polly couldn't help but smile.

Jughead looked at his minuscule closet and began packing a few of his flannels and jeans. According to Archie, they would be gone for 5 days. Jughead inwardly groaned at the thought of the awkward conversations between him and the rest of the gang. You see, they had time to grow closer together, while Jughead was once again left to figure it out on his own.

But despite all of his doubts and worries, Jughead could feel a bit of excitement. _Fuck,_ he thought, _that's not supposed to be there_. Although he would never admit it, Jughead was excited to be with Betty Cooper, even if she (unintentionally) broke his heart. _No, Jughead, don't do that. Don't let her in again. She's with Archie. Respect her space. Let her be._ As much as he wanted to fight for her, to grab her by the face and look her in the eye and tell her he's always loved her, there was always that endless stream of consciousness telling him that she is happy where she is, and that he shouldn't disturb that because her happiness takes priority over his desires. And as a person of logic, Jughead always let his head conquer his heart, letting her slip away bit by bit.

 **Hope it wasn't completely terrible... tell me what you think of it so far!**


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